Question of the Day - 10 July 2019

The musical roots of Big Elvis, also known as Pete Vallee, run deep. His mother was a singer in Memphis, where Pete was born the youngest of four children. He learned to play guitar at age 13 and sang in the choir at his church, whose pastor told him he sounded like Elvis. Two years later, Pete started impersonating Elvis; in fact, according to his website bio, at that age he moved to Las Vegas and began appearing at the Sahara. He was such a hit that he hit the road and traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada for the next six years, before he took a break and attended college.

But at age 28, he returned to the Strip and has been doing his Elvis show ever since (he's now 54) at Station Casinos, Barbary Coast, and Harrah's, where he currently performs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 2, 3:30, and 5 p.m. at the Piano Bar. 

As for the "big" part, at one point, Pete Vallee weighed nearly 1,000 pounds, but managed to diet and exercise his way down to 450 in a five-year time frame. He doesn't move around on stage; lately, he sits in a chair the whole time. But his fabulous voice and warm personality have been winning over audiences for decades. Besides, his 45-minute lounge act is free.

And here's a little tidbit we found interesting. According to Wikipedia, Pete Valle's mother, Delores, told Pete she'd had an affair with Elvis almost exactly nine months before he was born. Pete told the Las Vegas Mercury in 2004 that he's one of four illegitimate children Elvis had. If it's true, it certainly explains why he looks and sounds so much like the superstar ...

Click on the link to vote in the new poll posted today for what food categories you'd like to see added to Eating Las Vegas 2020.